Have you seen this Peugeot 308 teaser truck?

This truck transporting nothing but a large signboard featuring the Peugeot 308 logo (it’s lit up at night) has been going around the Klang Valley (and maybe other states, I’m not sure as I’ve only seen it in the Klang Valley), a large and obvious teaser of the new Peugeot 308 that’s due to be launched sometime this month.

As previously reported, the new 308 will be available with a choice of two engines. One is a 1.6 litre PSA-BMW Valvetronic engine with 120 PS and 160Nm of torque, while the other is also a 1.6 litre engine, but turbocharged to produce 150 PS and 240Nm of torque. The 120 PS car will go against cars like the Mazda 3 1.6 and the Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6, while the turbocharged car will compete with the likes of the Civic 2.0, and the Lancer 2.0. It won’t lead in the horsepower department but outclasses all of its competitors with a massive 240Nm (approximately equivalent to a 2.4 litre engine) of torque from as low as 1,400rpm all the way to 5,000rpm.

This massive torque at low RPMs that provides a smooth and easy drive is what the Europeans have been enjoying all this while with their torquey diesel engines and recently an onslaught of turbocharged downsized displacement engines. The turbo engine (also found in the MINI Cooper S in 175 PS form) should also prove to be popular with those who always want to squeeze out every last bit of performance from their cars as it could probably easily be boosted up to produce more power and torque with a rechip.

Look after the jump for a video of the teaser truck.Video: Peugeot 308 Teaser Truck in Malaysia

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.

240Nm kicking in at a low 1400rpm n pulling all the way up to 5000rpm? Wooooo…..hoooo…..hooooo………! That's the way to go. Proton should have found themself a French suitor but got a Jap instead. Malaysian Mentality at its best!

240Nm kicking in at a low 1400rpm n pulling all the way up to 5000rpm? Wooooo…..hoooo…..hooooo………! That’s the way to go. Proton should have found themself a French suitor but got a Jap instead. Malaysian Mentality at its best!

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proton has worked with the french before on more than one occasion.. with the tiara, waja 1.8, and savvy. traditionally, their partner has always been japanese. so your statement isn't entirely true.

but end of the day, there is still no indication in this market, that french cars will become one of the top choices for consumers.. i dont see it happening today, and sadly, i dont see it happening in the next 5 years also.. the kind of beating their brand has taken in the last 10 years, its not going to reverse overnight just because you bring in great products.

i also dont agree that a reasonably good and reasonably priced car will sell by itself. if it were that simple, we wouldnt need marketing or A&P guys at all.. we just need good product people and nothing else.

the ford focus is a good example of the above in our market.. cheaper than its rivals, good engineering, well received in all other markets around the world.. couldnt sell in malaysia.

end of the day, at the medium to higher end of the price scale.. people buy brands..

240Nm kicking in at a low 1400rpm n pulling all the way up to 5000rpm? Wooooo…..hoooo…..hooooo………! That’s the way to go. Proton should have found themself a French suitor but got a Jap instead. Malaysian Mentality at its best!

Ford Focus. Exactly my point. When Ford was jap, (remember those Lasers- 1.3, 1.5twin-carb n the 1.8DOHC) they were selling so well you see them practically everywhere. But once they bring in those Brit-made Fords, ploooomp! Sales down n almost gone n forgotten. Why? Malaysian mentality plays a big part here again. Ppl buy brands, yes, jap brands. Maybe Malaysians are pro-jap when it comes to automobiles?

BMW, the no marketing/strategy, brand sell by itself thing, I learn from Shell's marketing ppl a few years back. They were refering to their Helix engine oil n I was being sarcastic here. Hope you get my drift?

dzat46, you can't hv your cake n eat it too, sorry. If we want power n performance, we need to sacrifice fuel-economy.

for me, rather than introduce the 308 with promo price, which is a very very bad thing in malaysia car market, let the price stay as whatever it gonna be (which is by the way gonna be surprisingly very very competitive and damn attractive, i've heard).

rather, introduce a superb n irresistable financial package. super low interest, let say 0.88% per annum for the whole loan tenure or zero interest for first 3 years + 1.68% for the remaining years. and make it limited time offer i.e. first 3 months from launching date.

OR do like what BMW did, free EVERYTHING (maintenance et al.) for the whole warranty period. and make public of the estimated saving from this.

people that gonna buy this car will know how to 'calculate'.

never assume or offer 'immature' package.

Nasim just gonna made themself look 'stupid' and lose out sales.

Nasim had somewhat get it wrong with the 206 bestari. now, the economic situation /condition is rather much bleaker than when they introduce the 206. They managed better with the 407, but tainted it with poor delivery time. don't let the 206 and 407 'mistake' happened with this one.

my bet is, if Nasim got their strategy and more importantly IMPLEMENTATION right, the 308 gonna be their best success to date (number of car sold).

and the thing is… if its happen, then Nasim / Peugeot will have all-crucial-initial-strong-footing that they are looking for / much needed to further bankrolled the re-emergence of the marque and make profit for themselves along the way.

Went to the "soft" launch last Monday at Peugeot "Blue Box"….the car looks really cool…even better in four doors…and the rear seats were much more spacious than I expected….but unfortunately…it's not available for test drive until early Feb (according to the SA)…after their official launching on 29th Jan…

Guess I'll go the the turbo version…which the SA informed will most likely cost below the RM110K region (RM105K should be a realistic estimation) :D

They also displayed the version with stylish additional body kits and sport rims…available with additional RM8K…

Though we are still unsure if Nasim and Peugeot will get their strategy right this time round…we can be sure of their efforts and intention to at least boost up the sights of Pugs on the road…and I'm sure the we'll definately see more 308s around in the future as compared to any other Pug models before.

Realistic? In terms of?
If based on Altis 1.6L / Mazda3 1.6L pricing, it’s impossible to even think about having it below RM120K for the THP.
As mentioned, in Singapore, the 308 lowest spec itself (1.6L VTi) is even more expensive than the Civic 2.0L.

So, realistically (forget about Nasim), if there were news that any company (let’s say C&C) planning to CKD the 308; I don’t think we can see such “attractive” pricing at all, or even think of owning it for those who only can afford such price.

I would suggest that everyone here should get into a 308 and get the feel of the car, then give your comments. I've been in the 308 GT and I like the finishing of the car. Peugeot is a good brand. Anytime better than most of the Korean and Japanese counterparts.

We have 8 more days to confirm about this. At least, the price below RM110K for THP140 is what the SAs have been mentioning…so unless they are being unrealistic, the car is a great bargain to me at that price level.

By drawing comparison with Spore pricing, I don't think you're comparing apple to apple….Spore pricing is based on the CBU unit and what Nasim offers is a CKD or SKD as they would like to call it….hence, I don't understand why you drawing Spore pricing into the picture…

What Nasim/Peugeot is trying to compare against Altis 1.6/L and Mazda3 1.6L and the long list of Jap mades is their specs….I know ppl might argue about their resale value (but crap…to me….a car is for driving experience, and if you worry too much abt the value….i would suggest u spend your money on properties instead)…other than that….the specs are definately more attractive than what most Jap mades are offering (before you get me wrong…the C-segment Japs)

Lastly, for a commonsensical businessman…it would be rather foolish to penetrate into a stubborn Malaysian market filled with identical Jap mades with equivalent pricing…while publicly announcing that you are offering a more cost competitive CKD version…in fact…while paying so much attention to its pricing…I'm not sure if you've taken the specs into consideration….

Realistically, we are talking about Nasim offering at CKD is a known fact….and bringing in the imagination of C&C into this venture is kinda unrealistic to me….

You misunderstand my point; The problem with many people is that, after a car is launch, no matter how attractive or low the pricing, they will say it's expensive; So, I'm trying to highlight, imagine the 307 CBU priced above RM130K, and a newer version 308 is to be CKD, what's would be the estimated pricing realistically.

Since many didn't know about the 307 CBU pricing and don't take into consideration, another way to compare is by comparing Altis 1.6L and Mazda3 1.6L. Let's determine what would be the pricing (say if there was nobody telling you the "esitmated" pricing by Nasim).

Realistically, based on Altis and Mazda pricing, one would "most probably" estimated it to be more expensive than these counterparts, as it's a Peugeot and a continental car.

Why I bring Singapore into picture is one example to let people know, that you don't get to get such prices there. When they see we can get a 308 here cheaper than a Altis, and close to a City/Vios pricing (yet much higher spec'd than the Altis/Mazda3), they "might" appreciate more.

As for me bringing C&C into the picture is another good example, because many people would say, "aiyah, it's Naza ma, sure must be cheaper"; It's more fair to forget "who" bring it in when we estimate the price and not be unfair to any company which CKD the car.

Just because Nasim CKD the car, people tend to be unfair to it comparing with another company.

In terms of Specs, the THP can even beat the Camry/Accord, it even have ESP which are not available on Camry/Accord.

I guess for the ones who are fully unaware of the price level from Nasim…they are be in for a surprise….that's for sure…and this will be Nasim's intention anyway….to surprise the market…in the positive fashion…

Actually…the point that we're driving at is the same…an outcry for more people in our community to appreciate the value of this car…although some might be convinced of the price after the official launching….they might tend to scrutinize the other aspects of the car….durability la, resale value la, maintenance la.. etc…which i believe will pose the greatest challenge for Peugeot/Nasim in this country later on…to build brand loyalty and confidence…

Having said that…I think Nasim has embarked on their marketing and brand awareness strategy quite positively this time round….judging from the response they got as compared to the other models like 206 bestari etc…hopefully they'll build on this momentum and holistically improve their customer service and future car models…

Yeap, even if the price is really surprised/shocked them, they might find something else to argue; Somehow some people just wouldn't want to accept it.

For example, before the 206 CKD was launched, I told many people about the 206 which will be CKD, everyone said "Aiyah, sure expensive one la"; Back then, based on the CBU pricing for 1.4L (close to RM100K), most of us estimated the car to be priced not more than RM80K hopefully.

When it launched, it was below RM70K, then some started saying, "aiyah, only 1.4L, if it were 1.6L better", or give many excuses despite the 206 1.4L comes with good specs and features, 2 Air Bags, 4 STAR EURO NCAP Ratings, Tiptronic gearbox, etc.

While some agreed the price is good, they have other "claims", such as, "sure the maintenance expensive", or "maybe 1 time service cost you a bomb".

When talk about servicing, I mentioned that Peugeot service interval (back then) was 20,000KM or 1 Year. The first reply I got (obviously) was…

"Aiyah, sure expensive one"

My first answer to them was, "It's just normal service like engine oil and oil filter… how much could it be?"

Still not convince, I tell them the bill for a normal service; Most of them cannot say anything, but then, as usual, they'll resort to spare parts pricing, availability, 2nd hand value, etc.

So, as you can see from the above trend, ppl tend to come to conclusion before knowing anything (e.g. before knowing the service cost, already conclude the service sure expensive; but actually, if they're truly interested with the car, they wouldn't conclude in such way, instead they "want" to know; which brings back to many replies here, those which conclude compare to those which wants to know).

But I think the problem with the 206 was mainly due to naza rebagding issues, till today, many still think the 206 is not Peugeot 206, even still have people think the engine is not Pug engine, the interior is different, etc.

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